I Won't Give Up
by keep-me-posted
Summary: Jessie tries to convince Buzz, currently set in Demo Mode, who he really is. TS OneShot.


**A/N**: Alright, so I know the whole Jessie-talks-to-Demo-Buzz-in-TS3 thing has already been tons of times before, but I thought I'd throw my own version out there, lol. This is the first time I've written for Demo Buzz, so if it stinks, that's probably why. Also, though it's not written in either of their POV's, it does kinda bounce from Jessie's thoughts to Buzz's and back. I tried to write that as less confusing as possible. Thanks for reading!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Toy Story 3 or any of its characters.

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Buzz walked past her prison cell once again that night.

"23," Jessie silently counted to herself. He passed her again, his movement hard as stone, never wavering. "24."

Before he turned around and marched in front of her for the 25th time, Jessie reached out and grabbed for Woody's hat, that had been lying on the floor, with as little sound as possible. Her fingers clasped around it and she slowly pulled it through the bars of her cage.

As soon as it made its way through, she pulled the head covering to her chest, her fingers tracing the lines over the rim. By this time, Buzz was making his 25th round. He managed a glare into Jessie's cell. He rolled his eyes and sniffed the air at her actions, barely pausing his strut.

She didn't let it go unnoticed. "Alright, that's it." Jessie stood up in her cell.

The rest of the toys suddenly stood up, as well – all eyes on the cowgirl. According to the rules Buzz was spouting a few hours before, any toy who spoke back to Buzz or Lotso would spend the night in the Box. Though the rules themselves were ridiculous, they were clearly enforced. The toys already lost one friend to that place and they weren't about to lose another.

"Jessie, no!" Mrs. Potatohead wailed quietly from her cell.

But she wasn't listening. "Hey, you!" She called out. "The one with the clear helmet fulla' hot air!"

Buzz quickly spun around, facing the daycare prison. "Who dares to speak?"

"Uh, that was me," Slinky spoke up.

"No, me!" Barbie tried.

The rest of the toys shifted in their cages. Hamm tried to focus his eyes on anything but the scene taking place in front of him, while Rex twiddled his little fingers nervously. Bullseye neighed quietly, ready to headbutt the bars in front of him if his friend needed help.

"It was me," Jessie clarified, her hands clutching her cell bars.

"If you've got something to say-"

"I do, as a matter a' fact!"

He strode up to her cage. "Then speak," He seemed to offer, now standing directly in front of her; only metal bars between them.

She almost didn't want to say anything now that he was practically commanding her to. Buzz glared at her, raising an eyebrow. "Well?"

She still didn't say anything. He continued to stare at her, as she was staring back. He couldn't blink. Those eyes seemed to have some sort of power over him. Suddenly, Buzz realized that might very well be true. After all, she was a temptress of _Zurg_, sworn enemy of the Galactic Alliance! She was probably hypnotizing him! Or trying to induce mind control or something! He blinked and turned away.

He tried to focus his gaze on something else. Her lips, still unmoving. She had said she wanted to speak, yet she hadn't said a word since he reached her.

Before he knew it, his eyes met her's, once again. A flash of something glinted in those large green orbs of hers. Something other than pure evilness, though he couldn't place what it was.

When Jessie finally spoke, it was his name she said: "Buzz?"

The word itself had more emotion in it than the space ranger ever thought possible. Another temptress trickery, no doubt.

She spoke it again, almost as if she were searching for him, though he was clearly standing right there. He suddenly felt the urge to reply back. He wanted to address her properly, but he didn't know her name. After all, when has a member of Star Command ever needed to know the names of those who they've imprisoned?

He coughed into his hand. "Temptress?"

"It's Jessie," She said. "But you already knew that."

"No, I can't say I did," Buzz admitted. "But I'll be sure to log it away."

She frowned. She was sure the real Buzz – _her_ Buzz - was deep down inside there somewhere, but thanks to all his recent actions, she couldn't make it past his hard plastic surface. She opened her mouth to say something.

Jessie desperately just wanted to grab his shoulders through the bars and shake some sense into him, screaming, "What have you done with Buzz?" Though, even that was a bit dramatic for her taste and she was sure the whole daycare, Lotso included, would hear her.

She closed her mouth and let her head fall.

"Was there something you wanted to say, _Jessie_?" Buzz asked. She didn't like the way her said her name. It sounded foreign to her. A shiver passed through her.

She shook her head. "Forget it," The cowgirl almost whispered, her mouth suddenly feeling dry. "I think Woody's the only one who could actually try to convince you who you really are. He'd have the patience for it, anyway." She gently pressed her back against the back of her cage, slowly slipping downwards to the floor.

He should have left. The sun was coming up. Lotso would be there soon enough for roll call; but something about what she just said left the space ranger curious. He already knew who he was, of course. He was Buzz Lightyear of Star Command sent here to abide the orders of Commander Lotso until further notice.

What she had said was probably just a way to make him think otherwise, though she wasn't trying too hard to get her point across. Her head was turned away from him as if she were willing sleep to find her with the little time she had left of night, which wasn't much.

He leaned against her cell, his arms crossing his chest. He watched her pick up that cowboy hat Lotso had thrown to her just hours before. Her fingers traced light imaginary shapes over the rim.

"So, Woody," Buzz tried to bring up casually. "The fellow who owned that hat?"

She looked up at him. She was as surprised as he was that he was still there. "Yeah."

"Are you...I-I mean, were you two, you know..." He trailed off. Buzz couldn't remember the last time he couldn't speak directly.

Jessie's face broke out in a light grin when she realized what he was trying to say. "No, we aren't a couple. He's my best friend." She used his name in the present tense, refusing to believe he was truly gone. "Yours, too."

And there it was again, that curiosity getting the better of him. He had no memory of this girl or the cowboy she was referring to, though she claimed otherwise. Part of him almost wanted to get to know her more. It was probably just a way to distract him, but he wasn't so easily distracted. Her eyes met his again, making his head spin.

At least, he didn't used to be.

Buzz searched the ground afraid to look at her again. His eyes landed on the bottom of her boot. There were markings there. Symbols. Most likely a serial number Zurg placed there to keep tabs on his minions, though it didn't look long enough to be a serial code.

They looked like letters, four to be exact, but from where he was he could clearly tell they didn't spell the name of their leader. He cleared his throat. "W-What's that?"

Her eyes followed his finger. She brought it more into view for the space ranger to see. "Andy. He was – _is_ – our owner."

"Owner?"

Jessie nodded. "His name's on your boot, too."

Buzz lifted his left leg.

"Your right one."

He shouldn't have looked. He shouldn't have bothered even trying to get caught up in this cleverly devised plan, but he couldn't resist. The look in her eyes showed the she was as curious as he felt. And there was a small smile on her lips. For some reason he didn't want to make that disappear again.

He lifted his right boot and glanced at its sole. There it was, as plain as day: Andy. Handwritten by someone with poor skills. A child maybe?

"How did that get there?"

Lotso's voice suddenly echoed through the spaceman's head: _"But remember, they'll say anything to make you doubt yourself."_

Perhaps the name there was just an illusion. His finger ran across the name. Well, it _felt_ real enough. He traced the letters again. Buzz quickly dropped his foot. A pain suddenly surged through his head. It was overpowering and left him falling to his knees.

"Buzz!" Jessie cried, trying to reach out to him.

His brain ached. He tried to will the pain with his hands, but his helmet wouldn't let him get that far. He knew he should have asked Lotso if the air here was breathable for him earlier.

The space ranger pressed a hand against his helmet anyway, trying desperately to subside the pain. Millions of thoughts ran through his head. Faces and places and names he didn't recognize - yet they were there, trying to break free from a closed up barrier in his mind. There was one face, however, that stood out among the others. _Jessie_. Happy, smiling, prancing about..

His head was spinning. He felt sick. He grabbed onto the bars and tried to hoist himself up. He couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw the cowgirl helping him along the way.

When he finally came to, he was leaning against her cell, breathing hard. Jessie was using her finger to trace imaginary shapes against his helmet, much like the ones she was lining the cowboy's hat with before. Hearts, he guessed.

Buzz quickly jerked back, causing his head to pulse in flooded pain. By now the sun was halfway in the sky. He shook his head, trying to regain his thoughts. Lotso would be here any minute and he didn't want to have a weak mind around him.

"I-I have to go." He walked off slowly. He didn't have anywhere to go, really. Not until his commander showed up. Once he got back in the rhythm again, he would continue right where he left off; passing her cell for the 26th time. As if nothing happened.

"Okay," Jessie nodded, calling softly out to him. "But I just want you to know, Buzz, that I'm not gonna give up on you."

And when he passed her prison for the 27th time that night, a thought suddenly struck him: he didn't want her to.

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**A/N**: _*Edit*_ Added Barbie to the story. I always forget that she's locked up with everyone else in this scene. Thanks again for reading! Comments are love.


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